Treatise On Magical Warfare
Treatise on Magical Warfare By Vanidicus Alexander; Minister of War of Magus Senate of Dalaran, Mage-Commander of Magus Senate Battlemagi, former Captain of Stormwind Army. Intended for public consumption The following are excerpts from the textbook. Preface To be a soldier in an army is to be one man amidst many, part of a coordinated group that moves towards a singular objective as defined by their leader. There are many men from all walks of life in an army; there are potters, bakers, career soldiers, and farmers. These men are trained, drilled, and then placed in a regiment where they will grow close to one another. Through training and brotherhood and discipline, these men will be forged into a great weapon of which a country may wield against its enemies. From my time in Dalaran, I recognize that this process is different, inherently so. The multitude of background is lesser, as these people have come from one place. Their upbringing tends to be less hardy and more from the realm of academics, but there are those who seek combat even amongst the learned. And as the power of Dalaran wanes and waxes, it must utilize an ever evolving combat style. In the end though, citizens of the Magocracy of Dalaran will come together to defend it, and as men are forged into weapons; it is through the tempering heat of magic that even greater weapons can be made. On Infantry Infantry is the backbone of an army; even the most basic of instruction of warfare will emphasize this, and the most callow youth can tell you that the knights upon horseback or soldiers with sword and shield are just that, soldiers. They will know nothing of rank and protocol, but will know what is important and common. Repeating what is written above; infantry is the core of an army. But man alone does not an army make. They need training, numbers, and equipment. Within our Grand Alliance there are three Nations with an army of note; Stormwind, Ironforge, and Darnassus. I do not think it is too lofty of a claim to think that the Dwarves have an incredible mastery of engineering and as such possess the mightiest heavy equipment. Nor do I think it too extreme to suggest that the Elves, with thousands of years of learning and experience might be best trained. What does that leave humans? Mere numbers? No. Numbers are definitely an advantage, yes, but when combined with well forged arms and support and thorough training, a defined middle ground is reached. It is through this combination of armament, training, and numbers that the army of Stormwind holds its position as the greatest army on Azeroth, at least in this man’s opinion. Dalaran has different things available to it then the three nations I have listed above. The most notable of which is that there is no standing army in the traditional sense. More on that in a moment. While Dalaran has no formal standing army, it is not defenseless, and those that defend the city require the same basic things; training, numbers, and equipment. Dalaran is much smaller than Ironforge, Darnassus, or Stormwind and as such cannot field as many numbers. Therefore it must make up for it with training and equipment. The standing forces of Dalaran consist of two groups; the Dalaran Guard and the Battlemagi. The Guard provides infantry support and guardsman for static locations. Equipped to fight various magical threats and provide support and protection on a mundane level against the threats Dalaran personnel may face, these soldiers may know low level spellcraft or be equipped with means to fight spells and break wards. Guardsmen are recruited from the city’s people or from combat personnel who wish to loan their services to Dalaran. Within the Magus Senate, it is the Ministry of the Interior who holds sway over the Guard, and as such, they will not be covered as extensively within this document in regards to tactics and use in a battlefield scenario. While it may seem silly to place the general infantry outside the authority of the Ministry of War, each ministry has the ability to requisition personnel from other branches, and during wartime, the War Ministry has the authority to deploy forces according to the Minister of War. This is to maintain the balance of power within the city during peace. The second group of armed personnel is the Battlemagi. While smaller overall then the Guard, the personnel are much more potent. Previously it was mentioned that Dalaran does not have numbers and therefore must make up with superior training and equipment. There is one other factor; magic. A battlemage is a uniquely powerful investment for a soldier, each one is a fully trained and realized mage that comes with all the capabilities of their station and further undergoes martial training. Each battlemagi is equipped with custom made and oftentimes modified protective gear, armor, and armaments. Where a regular soldier may excel in combat, a battlemage has mastered it, as all forms of warfare are available to them and skills which are earned from a lifetime of magical training (discipline, mental focus, clarity of mind, adaptive thinking) easily carry over to the battlefield and make for a stronger soldier. On Tactics and Logistics To compare to Stormwind, the chief competitor to Dalaran in terms of magical support, Battlemagi are magical support and soldier in one package. Magic is extremely useful in wartime, as I’m sure many readers of this can attest to. Portals can be used to move vast quantities of soldiers and supplies about, conjuration can provide food to ease the burden of logistics, and abjuration can provide barriers and shields to increase the strength of fortifications both temporary and permanent. All of these things in one package with all warfighters able to perform these tasks greatly lighten the logistical load when supplying the battlemagi in the field. However, most magi are of the academic nature or better suited for a support role. Magi suited for the battlefield are much rarer. Any mage can bluster and discharge balls of flame from their hands in order to be dangerous, but when fighting a foe also capable of being dangerous, more than the enemies own skills are required to beat him. The tactics of the battlemagi do not suit themselves well to the typical army. The army of Ironforge is a mighty hammer used to smash its foes, Darnassus, a precision arrow to eliminate leadership, and the army of Stormwind, a honed broadsword to slice at the enemy. The battlemagi are none of these, they are a scalpel; surgical, precise, and deadly in the right hands. Metaphors aside, this translates to a preferred doctrine of overwhelming force brought to bear as quickly as possible, doing as much damage as possible, then retreating as quickly as possible. Battlemagi are therefore best suited for special operations; sabotage, elimination of enemy leadership, recon, demolitions, severing supply lines et cetera et cetera. Key to this is portal magic and illusion magic. Portal magic allows for rapid insertion and retreat and illusion magic allows the magi to move unseen before they strike. For example, the ongoing conflict with the Iron Horde provides a perfect environment in which battlemagi can be deployed with their maximum strength. The Iron Horde works like the traditional Horde of old insofar as we know. The clans work on a concept of centralized leadership with minimal command staff and ranking officers and while the army as a whole is proficient at fighting individually, much of the tactical thought and direction comes from these few ‘Warchiefs’ (or captains, the exact rank varies). Once the leadership is removed and the battlemagi personnel exfiltrated, piecemeal destruction of the greater body can begin as the army is thrown into confusion. Due to relative limited personnel, Dalarani forces must pick and choose their battles as best they can and work best when paired in tandem with greater Alliance forces. Once the leadership is destroyed, heavy infantry can handle the army, dwarvish war machines may strike with impunity, and elvish forces may continue working down the lines of battle. The battlemagi can then provide further support in the battle in a support role. Classically, fire has been taught as the optimal way to deter encroaching forces or assist in maneuvering them to where your commander wants them to go. Magi can provide this in spades. Lives may be saved with barriers and melee is no issue to battlemagi. One area in which Dalarani forces have superior workings in particular is intelligence gathering. For what is a sword arm worth without a mind to direct it? With a network of agents with magical skill, Dalaran stands poised to use its skill of magic to obtain information on the enemy. Scrying magic allows for pinpoint collection of data in real time. While other nation-states also possess magi to do this, very few of them are capable of entering the field and composing themselves thusly without years of additional training, training which is already in effect with the Dalarani forces. It is therefore recommended that each group of deployed battlemagi have one member with some proficiency at scrying as to best contribute to the overall tactical network. Anouther area of particular strength for the battlemage is countering of battlefield threats of a magical nature. If the enemy has access to magic, he is sure to use it in battle. The Grand Alliance must be willing to do the same. Be it Legion or Scourge or Twilight Cult, they shall bring their destructive and heretical magics to bear. Where the average soldier may be decimated by firestorm or by foul blizzards and winds brought to bear by these practitioners of Dark Magic, battlemagi are capable of breaking their defenses down and providing openings for their comrades. Battlemagi are ill-suited for the assault of stationary targets, as they are not deployed en mass. They are capable of teleporting in to disrupt leadership and retreat, but extended assault of keeps is a poor choice of tactics. Battlemagi, while able to do more than the average soldier, put magic into all their actions, and as such are draining their stamina reserve faster than the typical man. The brightest candle burns brightest and as such should be used to illuminate the proper areas. Standard procedure for capturing an enemy encampment is bombardment with Cloudburster Munitions and GFO-9 for up to 12 hours. On Use of Heavy Support No army would go into battle without the appropriate means to win, Dalaran is no exception. As a city of high magic and technology the Magus City is uniquely suited to deal with an ever evolving battlefield. Typical heavy support comes in the form of artillery support from fixed position weaponry or from aerial drop via gunship or gnomish plane or Dwarvish Steam Tank in times when the Dwarves deign the situation worthy enough to deploy such a valuable resource. While capable of launching devastating attacks the units must present a target to the enemy. For the preferred doctrine of Dalarani and Magus Senate forces, this is an unacceptable risk which could lead to the loss of valuable equipment which the city will then have to replace at a disproportionate cost compared to one of their allied states. In addition to said problem, deployment of such weaponry is oftentimes unfeasible due to circumstance of the mission. As such magical heavy weaponry is being slowly phased in to battlefield roles when possible and required. At the time of this documents composure, several weapons are under classified levels of access and cannot be discussed for the sake of magical warfare. The first and most widely used is the ‘portal beam’ weapon. This technology is derived from Mana Siphon technology developed by Muzula Silverweave of the Magus Senate of Dalaran, and appropriated by the Ministry of War Research and Development teams. When the beam is targeted via entered coordinates, up to (5) beams of energy are discharged through an established portal network. This serves as an area denial weapon, tactical in use and deployment. The beam’s blast radius is relatively small and can be used with minimal casualty risk. When the situation warrants the use, solid state munitions are deployed. In use against the Iron Horde is the GFO-9, the Gas Form Oxidizer-Type 9. This metal corroding gas is mixed with a tranquilizing agent to subdue enemy encampments. During wartime it is essential to the intelligence network that prisoners be taken for questioning. This is the means to do so. Distribution of this weapon to allied forces is imminent at the time of this document’s publishing. The next type of solid state munitions is the Cloudburster Munitions. The rounds utilize a fragmentation round charged with magical power, which upon detonation shower an area with shrapnel, lightning, and concussive force. These are standard long range shells to be deployed against stationary enemy encampment. Against stationary targets these rounds are the preferred choice to combat enemy keeps that require destruction. The last type of (partially) declassified solid state round is the appropriately named, Corpseburner Munitions. A chemical agent developed from samples of REDACTED recovered from REDACTED in REDACTED. The agent causes a degenerative effect in tissue and causes a target to REDACTED which then spreads. Fortunately, this weapon has a very short time of activity and is extremely potent when deployed against massed enemy infantry or organic matter. Golems are the other option that exists within the power of Dalaran and are not an option that should be lightly ignored. Golems are a powerful asset that is best employed alongside guardsmen or other non-magical personnel. Golems are able to carry heavy weapons into battle that would otherwise be immobile. Occasionally, a golem will be equipped with a shield generator and sent into battle with Dalarani ground forces to provide a modicum of protection from aerial attacks and artillery. These forms of heavy support are able to provide solutions to most problems encountered by deployed Dalarani personnel which cannot be handled by rapid insert teams. More esoteric combat systems exist, but are general impractical to utilize or deploy. Countermeasures to Magical Warfare Magic is not an infinite resource and does not grant one’s army or self, unlimited power. Magical warfare is best employed on either the small scale or the largest of scales. In the middle, magical support is oftentimes inferior to more mundane methods. On the small scale, it is unlikely that the enemy will have as many trained magi as you, and your forces will be superior. On the large scale, you will have much more magi and therefore a greater capability for destruction. For an example of the former, consider a typical 6 man insertion team of battlemagi, equipped with Dalarani Standard Issue gear. Their mission is to eliminate an enemy commander within the heart of his camp. A commander who utilizes his magi will not have them guarding him at all times, unless he is paranoid, then in which case the rest of his army shall suffer for it and the enemy shall be defeated regardless. The battlemagi will teleport in and be capable of swiftly eliminating the command personnel. For an example of the latter, consider the Blood Elves of Silvermoon, a mighty army in their own regard in which near every soldier is capable of some modicum of spellwork with magisters and battlemagi being common. Even more so since Archmage Proudmoore banished the Sunreavers, strengthening our enemy. No other army has a force of magisters so capable and available that oftentimes destruction of a force that opposes them is imminent. When you possess more magi you may rain greater destruction. Therefore the middle is where magic flounders. Why use magi when a siege weapon will do? Why take the time to utilize something that has spent a lifetime training instead of a section of soldiers with rifles who had their skills drilled into them in weeks. I do not mean to infer that magic is weak in this situation, but that there are oftentimes other options of equal or greater worth. Magi are the minority. It is a rare thing for the enemy to have more than a fraction of its body be capable of magic and oftentimes utilizes their talents to fulfill crucial support logistical roles such as transportation. If it is within your power, eliminate these magi with assassins, snipers, or magi of your own. That is not to say that magic is the sole reason for victory, no, far from it. Magic is a force multiplier. The greater your force, the greater the effect magic will have. More troops are moved, more food is produced, fortresses are harder to assail, and magi will peer into your mind to discern your most ingenious plans. It is therefore key to eliminate enemy magi. For each portal you deprive them off, for each barrier you need not expend munitions breaking, you come closer to victory. Magic is finite. No mage can maintain his powers forever. Continue your attack and their defenses will fall. As each enemy mage dies, they will be hard pressed to maintain what was already powered by so few by comparison to the bulk of the whole army. It is important to be ready for forbidden magics. A mage who possesses such knowledge will use it if desperate or pressed. It is also possible that evil magi operate openly within the enemy ranks and therefore countermeasures should be made available to an army. For the sake of widespread application, magical and mundane means will be suggested. Necromancy: Use friendly magi personnel to dispel animating magic. Alternatively; Artillery strikes on necromancer’s position. If the necromancer is within a fortified position, employ stealth to catch him off guard and infiltrate his lair. Employ paladins or battle clerics if available to you. Blood Magic: Blood fuels this magi instead of arcane power. He may heal quickly or cause pain to your fellow soldiers. If he possesses barriers, dispel them, and then shoot him. Maintain range if possible from the Blood Magic user, as if he does not know of your location then he cannot harm you. Artillery recommended or aerial strikes, keep moving and do not let him catch you in his grip. Fel Magic: Daemons are the imminent danger and should be destroyed or banished. The warlock is their source. Eliminate him to rid yourself of additional foes. Warlocks are typically more paranoid then the average mage and will oftentimes employ barriers. Do not fall into a situation in which you cannot escape and he is protected by dark magics, for this will be your downfall. If preparation time is possible beforehand, have your weapons blessed, as to better cut through the dark powers. Chronomancy: It is difficult to tell if an enemy is utilizing chronomancy, as it affects the flow of time itself. If you begin to experience a persistent sense of Déjà vu, be advised that chronomancy may be at work. Destroy the enemy position as fast as possible, larger events are exponentially more difficult to reverse then smaller ones. Conclusions Magic does not win a war by itself. It is a powerful force multiplier and a devastating weapon to be wielded by a capable commander. It is that, a force multiplier, to multiple a force there must be a substantial base of soldiering to go off of. This is fortunate as I'm sure magi would have taken over the world by now otherwise. Take care that one does not grow to prideful, thinking that with such tools at their disposal they are but invincible, for nothing is further from the truth. 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